The Irish standard., 1887-11-26

che TOTAL absence OF all eGOLlSIn nom
her character: and omesaWay with the
conviction that Miss Donlielly is not
only q talented poetess and a charming
conversationalist, but also q modest
maiden and a thoroughly Catholic
woman. The same conclusion will
force itself upon all who read her writ
ings, for it would be difficult to select
from these-and our poetess has always
been, and still IS, a very prolific writer
"a single production in which were not
reflected both the intense religious as
pirauions and the gentle wun1anly graces
of it's author, as we'll as that richness
IF phraseology which Lends such a
charm to her conversation. Miss Don
nelly, as has already been stated. is a
very prolific writer, and contributions
!rom her graceful zen are constantly
appearing i'll the columns Of. Catholic
magazines and newspapers. The ave
Maria OF Notre Dame, Ind, is very
often favored by the Philadelphia poet
ess, and the Catholic STANDARD! u her
her own city, as might he expected, fire.
quently commands her services, while
scarcely any prominent Catholic period
ical now published has GOT, at some
time Oh another, been enriched by ner
pen. Her verse is singularly easy and
graceful. Her rhymes are generally ez-
ceIlent. though she sometimes shows
too great an inclination to use Latin
quotations from the scriptures t0 help
her muse oat OF places where escape.
through this use OF the vernac!1iar,
would be easy, Her language is we'll
chosen. and her command OF words are
not only great, but she also has the
kuack of using the rigilb word Iii the
right place, in consequences cf which
gift her poems always read easily. and
they have a naturalness and force which
impress the reader with tleil own earn
estnoss and sincerity. Although she
had previously written d great deal
both in prose and verse, it was not un-
ii, the wear 1878 that Miss Uounelly first
collected her songs together and pub
lished them in book form. Tie title of
her first venture was Sacred Legends,
Poems Of the Civil War and Miscel--
laneous Poems, and in the modest pre-
face Of the book the poeteas stated that
some of these songs had already drlIted
into print, while she expressed the hope
that these might secure q reading fer
the rest. Two years later, in 1875, there:
appeared another volume from Miss
Donnelly's pen, under the title Of
"Domus Del This WAS the t;5le. too,
of the opening poem, and the book itselff
was the gift Of the poetess to the Church
of ST. Charles Borromeo, Twentieth
street, Philadelphia, which was tinan-
caljy benefited by the large sale the
work obtained. Miss Donnelly, at all
times Catholic in her writings and her
charities, never forgets that she is Of
irish birth, however: and when, in 1880,
the cry OF starving Ireland was borne
ACROSS the waters to America, and
when Mr. ParneIl himself Was over
here soliciting aid for The distressed
people, The Legend Of tue Best Be-
beloved" Miss Donneliys third book,
and her contribution 10 tns famine
fund, made its appearance. The le-
gend is a touching tale, cl1armingly
told, of an humble sister in a convent
who had, 10y minlstering to some lep-
rous patients. contracted their loath.
some disease. i'll consequence Of which
she was forced to ABIDE alone III the
bell tower of the convent chapel, where
hex devotion, her patience and her suf-
ferings won for her the title Of the
best beloved, as was revealed to the at
bess Of the convent IN a supernatural
vision. Crowned with Stars: Legends
and Lyrics for the Children Of Mary
and other Poems," which was. pub
lished in 1881, was the authors gift to
to the University of Notre Dame, to aid
in placing upon the dome Of that insti
tution statue of the Blessed Virgin,
crowned with twelve stars Of electric
light as has since been done. The
twelve opening poems Of this volume
commemorate as many graces i'll the
character Of her it aimed to honor, and
the remaining verses are, all more
OF less, Marian in their character,
Miss Donnelly has written SO much,
and her poems are III general SO meri
lorious, that it would be doing her but
scant justice to quote here and there
from her published volumes, with Che
view Of giving the reader an insight
into her religious character or a kllowl- az Y
edge of her poeticpowers. Many Of her
legends are exquisite poems, and not
few Of them are SO we'll known that it /
would be labor lost to reproduce them
here. Such are The Legend beautiful: y
which not a few readers prefer to. Long
fellows version Of the same theme The 4
Two Guests Of the Abbot Paphnu nuclus,' {;
,sThe j legend of the Best Beloved, "
of which mention has been already
ma le, and several Others. Miss Don.